Lily named Crimson Sun

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of chalice-type Asiatic hybrid lily plant particularly distinguished by the red-orange coloring of its medium sized, generally cupped flowers borne raceme and umbellate on short, strong stems and with upright pedicels, each pedicel usually having one or two buds or flowers. This plant also has a short, stocky growth habit with abundant and luxuriant foliage.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

This new lily was discovered by me as a seedling of unknown parentagegrowing among lily plants being raised at my nursery in Arcata, Calif.The short, stocky growth habit of this plant and its upright carriage ofthe flowers caught my attention and because of its favorable appearance,I began a course of propagation of the plant by means of scales andtissue culture at Arcata, Calif., to test its capabilities. As a resultof my study, I found that this plant had other distinctivecharacteristics and advantages to make it a worthy addition to the fieldof commercial pot plant lily culture. Further asexual propagation of theplant through successive generations has demonstrated that itsdistinctive and advantageous characteristics hold true from generationto generation and appear to be firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

My new variety of Asiatic hybrid lily is illustrated by the accompanyingfull color photographic drawing, which shows a full grown blooming potplant in the upper view and a close-up view of several blooms and budsin the lower view, the color rendition being as nearly true as can bereasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The following is a detailed description of this new variety of lilybased upon observations made of Arcata, Calif., the color designationsbeing according to The R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The RoyalHorticultural Society of London, England, and developed with thecooperation of the British Colour Council.

THE PLANT

Origin: Seedling.

Parentage: Unknown.

Classification:

Botanic.--Chalice-type, Asiatic hybrid.

Commercial.--Pot plant lily.

Form: Tall single stem from each bulb.

Height: 12 to 18 inches, depending upon the size of the bulb.

Growth: Upright and sturdy with excellent strength.

Cane size: The stems grow from about 1/4 inch in diameter when at aheight of about one foot to about 1/2 inch in diameter when reaching aheight of about 18 inches.

Foliage: Quantity -- abundant.

Size of leaf.--Stem leaves -- about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide atthe middle of the plant and from about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wideat the top of the plant. Leaves at flower cluster -- 3 in number, about11/2 to 21/2 inches long and about 1/2 to 1 inch wide.

Shape of leaf.--Lanceolate.

Texture.--Leathery.

Aspect.--Smooth.

Stem bulblets (under ground): Ocurrence -- 4 to 12 on each healthy,normal plant at digging time.

Size.--About 1/4 to 1 inch in diameter.

Color.--White.

Bulbs: Size -- from 1 to 3 inches in diameter.

Color.--White.

THE BUD

Form: Elongate-oblong, with retuse apex.

Size: Average. 2 to 3 inches long and 1/2 to 7/8 inch in diameter.

Opening: Normal, with tertiary and secondary buds opening successively.

Color: Red at the tip of the bud, fading to pale orange at the base whensepals first divide and petals begin to unfurl.

Surface aspect: Pubescent, white, with hairs about 1/16 inch long.

Pedicel: Strong and generally upright and angled about 30° fromvertical.

Color.--Light green.

Aspect.--Slightly pubescent with white hairs about 1/16 inch long.

Length.--From 3/4 inch to about 2 inches.

Number of buds: 1 to 2, depending upon the size of the bulb.

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Annually, blooming profusely in June.

Size of flower: Medium, averaging about 41/2 to 5 inches in diameter andabout 1 to 11/2 inch in depth.

Borne: From large bulbs, the inflorescence has a raceme arrangement forthe first 2 to 6 pedicels, each with only 1 bud, and then at the top,the inflorescence breaks into an umbel cluster of 2 to 3 pedicels with 1or 2 blooms on each pedicel. The small bulbs often flower only an umbelcluster with 1 bloom on each pedicel. The size of the bulb and itscultural care will determine the number of blooms and buds to be foundin any given inflorescence. From large bulbs, this lily may have 6 to 8blooms open at one time, 1 on each pedicel, and 1 to 2 open in the topumbel cluster.

Shape: Generally cup-shaped with uniformly spaced petals in stararrangement with the very tips of the petals folding and curvingbackward and under with the tip of the petal often touching the underside of the petal of a fully mature bloom.

Petalage: Normal, 3 sepals and 3 petals.

Form.--Oval, with retuse apex, with prominent nectariferous grooves anda center furrow bisecting each petal longitudinally. The petals areabout 11/4 to 13/4 inches wide and 3 to 31/4 inches long with entireedges.

Color.--Upper side -- upon opening, the petal is between Orange-Red RHS33B and 33C with a white nectariferous groove extending into an area ofRHS 34A at the central portion of the petal. Although not prominent, theentire petal area, including one inch of tip, is profusely covered withtiny dark spots. Under side -- Pale Orange RHS 32B with the outer edgesof RHS 28B. The under side is also slightly pubescent.

Papillae.--From 4 to 8 in number on the petals.

Texture.--Leathery.

Aspect.--Velvety.

Fragrance: Not noticeable.

Discoloration: Color fades somewhat as the blossom matures.

Effect of weather: Generally the flower is not affected by weather, butthe flower ages as temperature rises.

Lasting quality: Excellent. From 3 to 6 weeks on plant, depending uponsize of bulb and temperature, and from 10 days to 2 weeks as a cutflower.

Persistence: The flower tends to hang on and dry.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens:

Anthers.--6 in number. Arrangement: orderly around pistil. Length: about1/2 inch. Color: pale orange to red at the tip.

Filaments.--About 2 inches long.

Pistils:

Number.--One.

Style.--About 21/4 inches long. Color: pale orange at the base becomingred at the stigma.

Stigma.--Color -- red.

Ovary: Classified as a schizocarp, about 11/2 to 2 inches long and about1 inch in diameter, dehiscing into thirds and containing 6 rows of seedsof the usual shape.

This new lily plant has been noted to have a very rapid asexualreproductive rate which is a distinct advantage to growers propagatingthis plant for the pot plant market and for cut flower production. Also,this lily plant has been found to have the ability of quick andconsistently high quality response to forcing as a pot plant.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinctive variety of Asiatic hybird lily plantsubstantially as herein shown and described, characterized by the color,form and stacked-head arrangement of its red-orange flowers; by itsshort and stocky growth habit and its abundant foliage; and by its rapidasexual reproductive rate and its ability for consistently high qualityof forcing as a pot plant.